


Green Eyes

by LinksLipsSinkShips



Series: Folk, Hop, n Rhink [2]
Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: M/M, Workplace, lost in thought, pining link neal, pining!Link
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-07
Updated: 2017-06-07
Packaged: 2018-11-10 03:36:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11119083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LinksLipsSinkShips/pseuds/LinksLipsSinkShips
Summary: Link is lost in thought all day long, and Rhett takes notice.





	Green Eyes

**Author's Note:**

> Based on the song "Green Eyes" by Judah and the Lion.

His eyes were green today. Ever-changing, Link was never really sure if Rhett’s eyes would be that pretty hazel color he so loved, or more brown, but today, it was evident they were fully green. If he looked closely, there were little bits of gold in there, too. Link loved the way his eyes crinkled up a little in the corners when he’d laugh, the look he’d get on his face when telling a story, especially a story about their shared childhood or teen years. Link couldn’t help but stare, and in fact, he didn’t realize he had been until Rhett turned to look at him. Link looked away, but those green eyes still reverberated in his mind.

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’d literally die for you, man,” Rhett said. Link blinked his way back into the conversation. Rhett was always so hard to read. After so much time together, so many shared parts of their lives, you’d think it would be easier to read Rhett’s face, his expressions and what was going through his mind as he said those words… but it wasn’t easy. It was like a fog filtered between them. Rhett was this mystery to Link sometimes, this enigma that he couldn’t read, couldn’t grasp. Rhett’s lips turned downward. Oh. Shit. Rhett just said he’d die for him, and Link was so lost in his head that he didn’t respond. He looked into Rhett’s eyes, silently apologizing, but he wasn’t sure if Rhett got the message or not before they both turned away towards the camera to finish up the show for the day.

Back in their office, Link couldn’t help but gawk at Rhett. Rhett was standing there, typing away, bopping to a tune only he could hear, and Link was engrossed in his movements, his soft hum. God, his best friend was just utter perfection. He was everything. Rhett turned around and locked eyes with Link.

“Dude, what are you staring at? I could literally feel your eyes burnin’ a hole through me…” Rhett gave that exuberant, chesty laugh, tossing his head back a bit and crinkling his eyes. _Dammit,_ Link thought. That always made him so weak at the knees, when Rhett laughed like that.

“Oh, sorry, man. I was just staring off into space while I was trying to think of something. Didn’t realize I was even lookin’ at you.” Link lied, but something about the way Rhett looked back made him feel a blush rise through his entire body. His best friend could obviously see right through him, couldn’t he? Link knew he could see that he had been staring, running his eyes up Rhett’s long legs, gazing longer than he’d like to admit at his firm ass, seeing how his back muscles flexed once in awhile as Rhett leaned back slightly to get a better look at the screen, lingering on how good Rhett’s shoulders looked under his shirt. And now, as Link pressed his teeth into his own lower lip to snap himself out of it, he realized that Rhett was still looking at him and had read every bit of what he was thinking. Rhett had to know, didn’t he? Link was sure it was so obvious how he felt. Transparent, nervous, overwhelmed. He turned back to his computer, but Rhett didn’t turn back to his.

“Thinking of something? What were you thinking of?” Rhett pressed, and Link knew he was right. Rhett seemed to always know his thoughts, and he wondered why he couldn’t read Rhett as easily, see what was in his head all the time.

“Oh, just… some work stuff, you know.”

“Dude. We’re co-workers. Obviously, if you’re trying to think of work stuff you can just ask me. That’s kind of the whole point of the shared office thing.”

“I mean, uh. Work stuff. And lunch. I was thinking about lunch. On top of work stuff. You hungry?” Link stammered, trying to find a way out of this office, this conversation, this vulnerable state.

Rhett let out some sort of cross between a cough and a laugh.

“Sure, let’s go to lunch a little early today. Where are we going?”

“Where… wherever you want, I guess.” Link hadn’t exactly thought this far ahead. He had only presented food as a way of changing the subject, knowing his friend was always up for anything that involved eating.

As they settled into their table at the Mexican restaurant, Rhett instantly started browsing the menu. Link looked over the top of his menu, memorizing every detail of Rhett’s face, thinking about every strong feature, closing his eyes for a second to consider how Rhett’s lips, his beard, might feel against Link’s own mouth and chin.

“You dozin’ off on me there, Linkstar?”

“Oh, um, no, just trying to decide between the… um… steak tacos and…” Link trailed off and the silence hung between them.

“And what? I mean, unless you had another dish in mind, I think you’re pretty much settled on the steak tacos there, man.” _Crap. Dangit._ Rhett’s eyes were crinkling up again as he mocked Link’s inability to finish the sentence. Link was melting into a puddle over those damn jade eyes and the eye crinkles that surrounded them.

“Link, what is with you today, man? You’ve been staring off into space all day and it’s starting to weird me out.”

“You don’t know what I’m thinking about?”

“Well, last I checked, I can’t read minds, buddyroll. Want to clue me in?” Link wasn’t sure if Rhett was being honest, that he didn’t know that Link had spent the entire day memorizing every inch of his taller friend’s body, taking in every misplaced hair and raised eyebrow and the way that Rhett ran his tongue along his lips once in awhile. Maybe Rhett really didn’t know. Maybe he did know and wanted Link to prove him right.

“I told you. Work stuff. Food.”

“You’re lying, Link.” Rhett furrowed his brow, his green eyes piercing through Link’s soul. “Just tell me, honestly, what’s bothering you?”

“Did you mean it, earlier, when you joked that you would die for me? I meant to say something, and then I felt bad that I didn’t, but then it was too late, and I just wanted to know if you were joking or if you actually thought that or if you maybe just want me to shut up now because I kind of feel like I can’t breathe?” Link ran out of air trying to spill everything he was thinking, or not everything, but close enough. He gasped, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he tried to catch his breath.

Of course, the waitress had to arrive at precisely the wrong moment to ask for their orders. _Why is she taking so long for this?_ Link was frustrated. She had interrupted his chance at an answer, shot his confidence to where he wouldn’t be willing to ask again, barged into this moment that he so desperately couldn’t repeat. He was annoyed, but Rhett was completely unphased.

“Um, is there a reason you ignored the waitress just now?”

“Huh?” Link asked.

“Nevermind. I ordered you the steak tacos, man. She asked you twice and you were just…” Rhett waved a hand in front of Link’s face.

“Sorry. Thanks. Sorry.” Link mumbled. He needed to snap out of it. In fact, he should have already snapped out of it before it started, but… well, too late for that, wasn’t it?

“Do you really think I was joking, Link? Really?”

“I don’t know, man. Hard to tell what you’re thinking sometimes.”

“Says Space Cadet Neal over there,” Rhett grinned, his cheeks peeking out above his beard with a rosy gleam. “Of course I’d die for you, man. You’re my best friend. Then again, knowing you, I’m probably going to die because of you…” Rhett trailed off.

“I’d die for you, too, Rhett. I should have said it on camera and the Mythical Beasts are probably going to hate me for snubbing you, but still.” Link looked down again, blinking away tears.

“Hey, hey man, hey. Just… it’s cool, okay? I know you would.” Rhett reached across the table, grasping Link’s hand. It was a move that had come to symbolize support in times where the men needed it most. Usually, the hand holding was reserved for insanely hot salsa or frigid ice baths but now seemed like a fitting time for it. It was the first time they’d grasped hands like this with the cameras off, and when Link looked at Rhett, he saw that Rhett was really, seriously looking back at him.

“Rhett, I… I love you, man. I’m glad we’ve created all of this stuff together and… I’m just really freakin’ glad, okay?” Link couldn’t bring himself to say everything else he wanted to say.

His mind wanted to tell Rhett that he was everything he’d ever wanted. He longed to say that he saw this amazing future of them together, not just as business partners or as friends, saw so much more than that in Rhett, in them together. But his lips couldn’t form the words, his mouth couldn’t verbalize what he wanted to say.

A plate of steak tacos appeared in front of him, and he released Rhett’s hand.

“I’m glad you got that off your chest, buddy.” Rhett smiled at Link, and Link wondered what was on Rhett’s mind. As Rhett bit into his taco, he smiled, knowing everything Link wanted to say but didn’t. _Someday,_ Rhett thought. _Someday, he’ll be ready, and I’ll be here waiting with open arms._

**Author's Note:**

> I know my plan was to keep these song-based fics shorter and sweeter, but I just couldn't figure out how to make this one any shorter... so here's an extra-long part to the series.


End file.
